Equipment

We prefer glass, wood strip or carbon kayaks and only offer clients boats that we’d choose to paddle ourselves. On making a booking you will be sent a form that asks for information about your weight, your past paddling experience and your level of confidence on waves.

We match each client to a suitable boat for each trip once we’ve received this information. You are of course welcome to bring your own boat if you wish and a 10% discount will be offered in this case.

If you’d like to paddle a double kayak then do let us know at the time of booking. We have fast and stable double kayaks, ideal for paddlers of mixed ability or for the partially sighted.

In 2019 we will be stocking and selling Lettmann kayaks and paddles as well as Whetman Equipment tow lines and contact tows. We will have the Biskaya in LV and MV to demo as well as the Skinner.

We tend to use light and comfortable euro-blade paddles such as the Werner Shuna or the amazingly powerful Lettmann Ergonom Pro. We also have a number of Greenland paddles in wood and carbon, should you wish to try the traditional technique. The Greenland paddle is ideally suited to all except the roughest of conditions and is particularly gentle on the body.

We’ll select a paddle to suit you once we know your size and strength.

Spray decks are provided to fit each boat and a buoyancy aid with pockets is also provided. All paddlers are required to wear a buoyancy aid when on the water with us.

Helmets are necessary for paddling in rougher water on some of our journeys. Your guide will advise when these should be worn. A helmet is important to protect your head in the event of a capsize near rocks or from being hit by another boat if you’ve had a swim. We’ll indicate which trips require helmets to be carried and we will provide these.

We provide a long-sleeved paddling cag suitable for many trips. For advanced trips on rougher water, where a swim is likely or the waters are cold then a dry suit is necessary. Many experienced paddlers have their own but we can rent you one if needed at a reasonable rate.

Most of our Scottish and Swedish trips involve wild camping. In Devon and Cornwall we work from paddler-friendly fixed base campsites.

We don’t provide camping equipment as standard but are able to rent you a Hilleberg or Mountain Equipment tent, sleeping mat and an MSR Dragonfly or Trangia stove with fuel at reasonable rates. Sleeping bags are personal and we expect you to bring your own. Please ask us if you’re not sure about what equipment to bring.